Staying Warm in Winter
by lividlillies
Summary: Konoha's winter has been made even more unbearable due to an energy shortage. Luckily, Kakashi knows a thing or two about keeping warm and doesn't mind sharing that knowledge with Iruka. KakaIru


It was cold, really, really, _really_ cold. Iruka hated the cold—he liked to sleep in a nice _comfortable_ environment, and his house _would_ have been comfortable if not for the energy shortage that winter. Everyone in Konoha was just as cold as he was, or, most of them.

It was cold, but only a little bit. Kakashi didn't mind sleeping in cold places, but could name a few who did. Sakura and Naruto came to mind—they were always whining when it got cold. Sasuke didn't seem to mind but that was mostly because he never whined about anything. Everyone else in Konoha was feeling the brute of that winter, but Kakashi felt he was pretty well off (he'd have to thank Gai for losing so many blankets in competitions).

"I'm absolutely _dying_!" moaned Iruka, uncharacteristically that afternoon at the Mission Desk.

Kakashi just so happened to be walking in at that moment and couldn't fathom why the younger man would be dying. Other than the cold.

"What, did Naruto steal all your blankets?" asked Anko, laughing.

"That's exactly what he did!" snapped Iruka, made mean by his lack of sleep and warmth. "So now I'm sleeping with a sheet while he's at home under four comforters! I mean…" Iruka sighed and rubbed his temples. "I normally wouldn't begrudge Naruto anything, but I loathe the cold…"

"Gai has lots of blankets," volunteered Kakashi. It wasn't really volunteering, though… it was more like exploiting his knowledge of the man. "That's where I got mine."

Iruka brightened. "Really? He… gave you them?"

Kakashi looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, no, I had to win them from him, but I'm sure you could do that too…"

Iruka slumped back into his seat. "I doubt I could beat Gai-san in anything but Rock-Paper-Scissors."

"Actually, he's pretty good at that… I always lose."

Iruka smiled and rolled his eyes, "It never occurred to you that maybe you aren't very good at it?"

Kakashi smiled, "Nope!"

"Well, I can't count on Gai for warming me up. Any other suggestions?"

"Why don't you get the blankets back from the kid?" asked Genma, finishing off his paperwork.

"I couldn't do that!" exclaimed Iruka. "Naruto's worse off than me—they completely turned off his energy; he doesn't even have lights or water anymore."

"They can do that?" asked Kakashi, walking over with his mission report.

Iruka grimaced, "Yeah, something about a bogus policy they made up just as things got bad."

"You could ask for the blankets back, you know," said Kakashi, scratching the back of his head. "Naruto badgered Sasuke into letting him stay until the energy came back—I'm sure Sasuke has enough…"

Iruka waved him off, "Naruto already told me—Sasuke's only letting him stay _because_ of the blankets. Though he'd never admit it, I'm sure."

"Well," said Kakashi, leaning in close to Iruka's ear. "There is _one_ way to stay warm in the winter…"

Iruka looked hopeful. "Oh?"

"I'll help you out after you get off work…?"

"Five!" said Iruka, happily.

Five came around, and Iruka was standing outside of the Academy looking quite impatient. He hated the cold! Loathed it!

"My, my, Iruka-sensei!" chimed Kakashi, looking at Iruka who was covered in thick layers of clothing, including multiple scarves. "You really do hate the cold, don't you?"

Iruka nodded his head vigorously and followed after Kakashi. "So, what's your idea…?"

Kakashi only smiled, "Well, first, it begins with dinner."

"Dinner…? Oh! Something warm!"

The Jounin nodded enthusiasticly and led the way to an expensive restaurant. The two ate and chatted for a while. Once they had finished, Kakashi gracefully paid for the meal and took them back onto the main road of Konoha.

"So, next we…?"

Kakashi appeared to be deep in thought for a moment. "Next, we go to a movie."

"A movie?"

"Why yes! I hear they've turned the air conditioning off and the heater on!"

It was only halfway through the previews and Iruka was _not_ impressed. He was freezing! They had indeed turned the A/C off but they hadn't turned the heater on, that was for sure. Thankfully, Kakashi noticed this and kindly rewrapped his scarf to include both of them.

The movie was quite enjoyable, and Iruka hadn't gone to one for a while, so it had been a real treat. Although, it was rather embarrassing to find himself nearly glued to Kakashi at the end, but the Jounin had said it was alright, since both of them had been cold.

It was now eight-thirty and the two Shinobi found themselves on the street again. They wandered around companionably (Iruka hadn't noticed that he had linked arms with the Copy-Nin until he was too comfortable to pull away) and window shopped, occasionally buying a warm treat or making a necessary purchase (though Iruka insisted that Icha Icha was _not_ necessary!).

It was ten o'clock before Iruka even remembered why he was out with Kakashi. "Now we…?"

Kakashi smiled, "Now we go this way!" he said, pointing.

Iruka wondered if this was really an answer to his question but didn't bother inquiring further. They walked a while before reaching an apartment complex. Kakashi led Iruka up the stairs and it wasn't until he was unlocking the door that Iruka took notice of his surroundings.

"We're… uh…?"

"At my apartment! I have some blankets that I wouldn't mind sharing, and I thought we could have some tea," Kakashi said, smiling in a disarming way (which should have been a warning all in itself) and ushering Iruka in.

Iruka accepted the invitation and politely took off his shoes and outer clothing. "It's almost like outside!" he said, commenting on the cold and hugging himself.

"Ah, just let me put the tea on, okay?" so saying, Kakashi bustled around the kitchen for a moment (really, just a moment—Iruka hadn't thought tea could be made that quickly!) and came back with two mugs. He handed one to Iruka before plopping down on the futon (in his… living room? Was there even a bedroom?) and patting the spot beside him.

Iruka folded his legs beneath him and sat, blushing as Kakashi pulled a blanket around the two of them. They sat and sipped tea and talked for a bit, commenting on the evening, the weather, and the lack of missions that were coming in.

"I was surprised you came in today—it's not often that people of your strength are being sent out on missions these days. There are so little things needing to be done, even in D-rank," Iruka said, setting down his finished cup and feeling a lot warmer and more comfortable than he would have in his home, which was probably an ice box at that very moment.

"I'm guessing someone else took care of it, since you don't know—I found that report in a pair of pants at the bottom of the laundry. I think it was at least a couple months old…"

Iruka laughed. "How often do you wash laundry! If that's the case, then that was the report the staff has been running around after for the last two weeks!"

Kakashi looked sheepish, "…oops?"

"Oh, no! It was a good thing," said Iruka, laughing a bit more. "We needed to do some serious reorganizing and besides, it was the only thing we could do because there was no other work."

"Other than chasing after my missing report?"

"Exactly," said Iruka, nodding in an approving manner. "We would have been bored silly. As it was, we were scared shitless—an S-rank mission of Hatake Kakashi's, gone, vanished, no trace of it. Of course, we didn't stop to consider that you hadn't passed it in yet!" Iruka emphasized his point by jabbing the Jounin the side on his last word.

"That reminds me," said Kakashi, setting his own cup down. "I forgot to finish showing you how to get warm in the winter…" as he said this, Kakashi slowly moved closer to Iruka, nearly pinning him beneath him.

"Ka... Kakashi-sensei!" he stammered, no longer red from the cold. "I… we..." Before he could finish that thought, however, Kakashi had his mask down and was feverishly kissing him. Iruka was almost bought, but… "We haven't even gone on a date!" he exclaimed, a last ditch effort of escape.

"Well, that depends… What do you consider a date?" asked Kakashi, still hovering above him.

"I… uh, well, maybe dinner… sometimes a mo…" it dawned on him, then. He gulped, "Sometimes a movie, maybe some idle shopping and then tea?"

Kakashi brushed their lips together before smiling and saying, "Exactly." Then he covered them more securely with the blanket and got into a more comfortable position above Iruka. "Now," he said, grinning, "Should I show you how two people stay warm in the winter?"


End file.
